Marauder's Era: Year 1
by MarauderLover.x.o.x
Summary: Follow James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter during the course of their 1st year at Hogwarts. Read about them learning, pranking, discovering, and, in James' case, falling in love!
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hi, so this is my first story! I had it written down before, I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Obviously this is all J.K. Rowling's!**

**~Emmy**

**Prologue**

**Potter Manor**

**Wales, England**

**July 17****th****, 1970.**

"Mom! HEY, MOM!" shouted a certain James Harold Potter as he jumped down the stairs. He ran across the kitchen floor and skidded to a stop next to his mother in front of the sink. Dorea Potter turned around and asked her son, "Yes, James? What is it?"

Dorea Potter had the same warm, twinkling hazel eyes as James. But on the other hand, James had his dad's messy and untamable black hair, while his mother was a dark redhead. "You know what day it is? Huh?" James excitedly asked.

Mrs. Potter smiled. "I know, you're Hogwarts letter should arrive and time now!"

James bounced around the kitchen, gazing out the windows. At last, he shouted, "THERE IT IS! IT'S HERE!"

James attempted to open the window. He strained to pull with all his might. All of a sudden, the window flew open and James toppled backward. "I have a wand," his mother informed him.

The owl flew into the kitchen, with a heavy looking, cream-colored envelope in its beak. James reached for the envelope and opened it reverently. The paper inside said Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, blah blah blah. James skipped the boring parts and went to the supply list:

First-year students will require:

Uniform:

Three Sets of Plain Work Robes (Black)

One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear

One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all students' clothes should carry name-tags at all times.

Books

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)_ by Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot

_Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore

_Magical Drafts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment

1 Wand

1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set of glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set of brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.

James finished the letter and asked his mother, "When can we go to Diagon Alley?"

His mother smiled. "How about… tomorrow?"

James grinned widely and left the room, skipping.

**Grimmauld Place, Number 12**

**London**

**July 17****th****, 1970**

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK," a woman's voice screeched loudly.

The said Sirius Black stumbled out of his large, comfortable bed. He stood in front of a full-length mirror, gazing at his reflection. A tall boy with cloudy, mysterious dark gray eyes stared back at him. Sirius ran a hand through his silky, dark black hair, and flashed himself a cheeky grin. Then, Sirius left his room. "Yes, mother?"

"Your Hogwarts letter is here, you ungrateful brat," Mrs. Black said, appearing in front of Sirius. She shoved the letter in Sirius' direction. "You have better be placed in Slytherin, or you shall shame the Black family!"

Sirius nodded aimlessly, and took hold of his letter and went down to the kitchen. "KREACHER!" he called.

There was a loud CRACK and an ugly green-brown creature appeared. "Yes, Master Sirius?" Kreacher said, while eyeing Sirius with hatred.

"Fetch me a plate of bacon, eggs, toast, milk, and strawberries. NOW!" Sirius smirked as the house-elf hurried away.

Sirius sat at the long kitchen table, arms behind head, feet on the table, just lounging around. He looked at the letter. The letter seemed to stare right back. "Humph," Sirius muttered. He broke the Hogwarts seal on the front and slowly slid out the papers inside. Truthfully, Sirius didn't appreciate the views the rest of his family took. He wished to be placed in Gryffindor, not Slytherin- not that Sirius would ever mention that to his family, of course. Then, Kreacher entered the room, holding a full plate of all the breakfast necessities Sirius needed.

"Here is Master Sirius' breakfast," he croaked.

"Thanks, Kreacher. Now go away!" Sirius commanded. The house-elf left, probably to see if Regulus, Sirius' younger brother, needed any help.

Sirius snatched up a slice of bacon and munched on it while reading his letter. At last, he was leaving his family, and going to Hogwarts.

**Lupin Household**

**Ireland**

**July 17****th****, 1970**

Remus Lupin sat on his bed, tears filling his eyes as he heard his parents fight. His mother was a Muggle, his father a pure-blood. So, Mrs. Lupin blamed Remus' 'condition' on his father. Remus kicked the door, then immediately regretted it, having a twinging toe was the least of his problems right now. Remus hated keeping his secret hidden. Whenever he became close with another boy his age, they would run away screaming when he told them that Remus was a monster. A werewolf. Remus' dearest wish was to find a friend, at least one, who would not care about his lycanthropy. Just then, somebody knocked on the door. Remus ignored it, thinking it was yet another doctor who claimed to have a solution to his _problem._ He collapsed on the bed and stared at the ceiling of his bedroom. Then, there was a light tapping on the door. "Come in," Remus muttered.

The door creaked open, and someone stepped inside and closed the door lightly. "What do you want, mum?" Remus asked grouchily without turning his head.

"Now now, Remus. Don't be like that," said a voice that was definitely not Remus' mom. Remus sat up and gasped. He was looking right at Albus Dumbledore, the well-known headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!

"Oh, I am so sorry, Professor! Er-why are you here?" Remus asked nervously.

Albus Dumbledore stared at the little boy before him. He was very skinny, with scars all over his body. He had sandy brown hair, and clear, light blue eyes. "This might come as a shock to you, Remus, but the professors and I have decided you should be admitted into Hogwarts!"

Remus' neck cracked as he sharply turned his head. "_What?" _Remus asked, refusing to believe what Dumbledore had just said.

"You have been accepted to Hogwarts School," Dumbledore repeated calmly. "We have arranged that each month, at the full moon, you will be escorted to a new tree, called the Whomping Willow. There is a tunnel that leads to the Shrieking Shack, allowing you to be safe, and allowing others to be safe on that night."

Remus slowly started to fill with joy and hope. "What about the lessons I miss?" he asked.

Dumbledore replied, "The teachers will provide you with a short review of what you missed. Mr. Lupin, I expect you to work very hard at school. No one knows about your lycanthropy, and I intend to keep it that way. You will not be treated differently than any other student."

Remus nodded eagerly. Dumbledore pulled out a Hogwarts letter and handed it to Remus. "I have explained everything to your parents and expect to see you on September 1st, this fall. I also recommend you go down and see your parents, as they are also very joyful." With that, Dumbledore disappeared. Remus ran down stairs straight into his parents waiting arms. They enveloped Remus in a big hug, filled with love, and Remus couldn't have been happier.

**Pettigrew Home**

**Glasgow, Scotland**

**July 17****th****, 1970**

"Peter! Where are you?" Mrs. Pettigrew shouted. Her son, the subject of her quarry, was in fact hiding under his parents' bed, giggling quietly. "PETER! THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE GAME! YOUR HOGWARTS LETTER CAME!"

Peter froze in shock; he had not expected to be accepted! After all, Peter thought himself as clumsy, stupid, and slow. Peter quickly crawled out from under the bed and ran to his mother. "They accepted me? For real?"

"Yes Peter," his mother replied, smiling at Peter's astonishment. Peter was a chubby child, with dirty-blonde hair, and watery blue eyes, but Mrs. Pettigrew loved Peter with all her heart.

Peter quickly broke the seal and pulled the parchment out. He scanned the paper, occasionally questioning his mother about a word. When Peter reached the bottom of the paper, he glance up at his mother. "So? When are we going to buy the stuff? You know."

Mrs. Pettigrew said, "Let's go now."

Peter bounced away to grab a bag of Galleons. Once he was out of sight, Peter sighed and slumped. Peter knew that he wasn't the coolest of kids, but he wished that he could find friends, true friends that would stay with him to the end. Little did Peter know that three other boys, the same age, spread across the country, were wishing exactly the same thing.


	2. The Arrival of the Four

**A/N: Here's the first chapter! Enjoy! :P**

**Potter Manor**

**Wales, England**

**August 31st, 1970**

It was a warm and peaceful night. James Potter lay in his bed, still wide awake, filled with excitement for the next day. Beside the bed was a large wooden trunk filled with supplies, clothes, and various pranking items. A light brown spotted owl sat in a metal cage, her amber eyes staring at the moonlight unblinkingly. Hours passed, until James fell asleep, ready for the next day.

"_JAMES HAROLD POTTER! WAKE UP AND COME DOWN FOR BREAKFAST!_" James' mother yelled.

James' eyes shot open. He sat up and hurriedly dressed himself, stopping only to grab his glasses and shove them on his face. He grabbed his trunk and owl and lugged them to the kitchen. Once there, James collapsed into a fuzzy armchair and groaned. "Mom, why does the train have to leave at 11:00? I haven't reached my goal of sleeping until ten today!"

Mrs. Potter rolled her eyes and dropped a steaming plate of food in front of James on the table. James ravenously devoured his food, considerably more awakened. Then, Mr. Potter rushed down the stairs and dropped into the seat next to James. "So, today's the big day, huh?"

James nodded and dropped his fork with a clatter on the now empty plate. "Let's go!"

Mr. Potter finished a cup of coffee, then grabbed James' trunk in one hand, and gripped James' wrist with the other. James picked up his owl's cage, and they turned on the spot, appearing at King's Cross station.

Nobody seemed to notice as the father-son pair suddenly appeared. The dad glanced at the clock and paled. "RUN, JAMES, RUN!"

The two started sprinting toward the brick wall without a second glance, and shot through to the other side. James paused for a second in awe of the gleaming scarlet Hogwarts Express. Then, his dad almost collided into James and brought James back with a thunk to reality. Mr. Potter helped James lift his trunk onto the train just when the train started to whistle. "BYE DAD!" James shouted. "I'LL WRITE TO YOU WHEN I GET IN GRYFFINDOR! SEE YOU AT CHRISTMAS!"

James watched his dad fade out of sight then set out to find a compartment. The corriders were almost empty since students were catching up with each other in their private places. James found an almost empty compartment near the back which held a boy with sandy light brown hair, and light blue eyes. "I'm exhausted. Can I sit here?" James asked. Without waiting for an answer, he entered the small room and heaved his trunk onto the shelf. Then, James dropped onto the seat and heaved a large sigh, then looked at the other boy. James noticed he had rather shabby robes, then decided not to mention it.

"Er, hi... I'm Remus Lupin. Who are you?" said the blue-eyed boy now called Remus Lupin. "I'm James Potter." James said proudly. "So, what house do you want to be in?" Remus said, "Uh-probably Ravenclaw, but I'll probably end up in Slytherin." Upon hearing this, James was shocked. "Why?" Remus turned pink and mumbled something about the bathroom and left the compartment.

James stretched out and gazed out the window. He was currently involved with an intense game of Name that Cloud when the door opened with a BANG! and another out-of-breath boy entered.

This boy had silky-looking black hair that reached past his ears, and cloudy gray eyes. "Hi, I'm Sirius. Sirius Black."

James grinned. "I'm James Potter. Why in such a hurry?" Sirius sat down and said, "My cousins. They were being snobby." James nodded confusedly. Then it hit him. "Oh, you mean your cousins, like Bellatrix and Narcissa?" Sirius' face darkened. "My family's a rather, er, touchy subject for me." James nodded understandingly. Then, two other students-first years, by the look of it- entered and completely ignored James and Sirius. James eavesdropped on the pair. It seemed Sirius was doing the same.

"I don't want to talk to you," the red-headed girl said. James couldn't help but notice her eyes, which were a startling emerald green.

"Why not?" questioned a boy. He was lanky, had black eyes, and greasy-looking hair. James smirked.

"Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore."

"So what?"

The red-head threw him a look of deep dislike. "So she's my sister!"

"She's only a-" the greasy-haired boy stopped himself quickly. "But we're going! This is it! We're off to Hogwarts! You'd better be in Slytherin."

James couldn't help but interrupt. "Slytherin? Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, don't you?" he asked Sirius.

Sirius said, "My whole family have been in Slytherin."

James was amazed and said, "Blimey, and I thought we were alright!"

Sirius grinned. "Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

James lifted and invisible sword. "'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad."

Greasy-hair made a noise. James turned and said, "Got a problem?"

Greasy hair said, "No. If you'd rather be brawny than brainy-"

This time Sirius interrupted, "Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?"

James roared with laughter. The red-head sat up and looked at James and Sirius with dislike. "Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."

James and Sirius said in sync, "Oooooo..."

The girl and boy stood up to leave, and James tried to trip Snape. "See ya, Snivellus!" called Sirius.

James looked at Sirius, inquiring. "Snivellus?"

Sirius shrugged. "I dunno, it just came to mind..."

The two boys chuckled and started talking about random things. Remus then came in. "Oh!" he said, after seeing Sirius.

"I'm Sirius Black." Sirius said. "You?"

Remus said, "Remus Lupin. So... you hear about the Whomping Willow this year?" The boys started chatting and occasionally bursting into peals of laughter.

Then, the train slowed to a stop. The three boys rushed to change into their robes and tumbled out of the train. They landed at the feet of a large object. James, Sirius, and Remus slowly turned their heads upwards to find a large human-James wasn't sure if he was human! He was three times a normal man's breadth, and twice as tall. "'Lo, I'm Hagrid, Keeper of the Grounds and Keys and Hogwarts. Now, first years! Follow me! We'll be heading over to Hogwarts across the lake."

The group walked to the edge of a smooth, glass-like lake. "All righ' now... four to a boat!"

James, Remus, and Sirius headed to the front. They were joined by a short, plump boy. He had blonde hair, and sort of watery blue eyes. "Can I, uh, join you guys?" he squeaked. Remus said, "Sure!" and smiled at the boy. "I'm Remus Lupin, and this is Sirius Black and James Potter." The boy said, "I'm Peter Pettigrew." The four boys rounded a corner and were behold with an amazing sight. Hogwarts towered above them, the windows were twinkling from the lights inside. The four whispered, "Cool!" and stared. Finally, the boats reached the castle, and the first years stumbled to a halt in front of the large, wooden doors. Hagrid weaved his way through the students and knocked thrice on the doors.

The wooden doors slowly creaked open to reveal a strict-looking woman. James could tell he and Sirius were having similar thoughts-that she was not a woman to cross. Which, of course, made them want to cause havoc in her classroom. The woman began talking, "Welcome to Hogwarts. Now, in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points. Any rule-breaking, and you will loose points."

At this, James and Sirius exchanged evil grins. The woman continued, "At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup. The Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily."

The woman left, and James asked Sirius, "So... are you nervous?"

Sirius shrugged and said, "Nah..."

James said, "Same."

But both could tell the other was pale and anxious. The woman came up and said, "We are ready for you. Follow me."

The first years entered the castle and looked around. The Great Hall was lit up with many candles, and in front of them was a huge doorway. They walked into the huge room, and saw many students clad in black at four long tables. At the front was a stool with a ragged black hat. James saw Remus and Peter gulp. Then, James looked up.

The ceiling looked like-well, it looked like there was no ceiling! Outside was a clear summer night sky. James wondered what would happen if it rained, when his attention was drawn to the woman at the front of the hall, with a long scroll of parchment in hand. "When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place this Sorting Hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses. Black, Sirius!"

The Slytherin table immediately prepared to welcome the newest Black as Sirius casually walked up. Inside, though, he was panicking. _This is it._ Sirius sat down and the hat dropped onto his head. _Hey, watch the hair!_ Sirius thought. Another voice replied, _This is not the time. I'm supposed to sort you. Hmm... well, you're a Black, obviously. Usually I would blurt Slytherin, but... I'm not so sure with you. _Sirius gaped in his head. _Then what? Well, actually I don't want to be in Slytherin... nor Ravenclaw, those smarty-pants. Not Hufflepuff, either! Those lame loyal people._ The Hat said,_ That's no way to talk to your future house! _Sirius thought, _wait... what? Hufflepuff! No!_ The Hat said, _Relax. I was kidding you. Fine, I guess... "_GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius beamed, waiting for the applause from the table on the far left, but there was silence. Every single person in the room was shocked (except for Sirius.) Then a voice yelled, "WOOHOO SIRIUS!"

Sirius found James in the front of the crowd of First Years, and grinned. He headed to the Gryffindor table, which had slowly began to clap then started cheering. Sirius sat down with his new house, with a feeling of contentment. Then he glanced at the Slytherin table. His cousin's looked at him with an expression of disgust. Sirius turned back and watched the Sorting.

"Evans, Lily!" called the woman. The redheaded girl on the train trembled as she walked. She sat down, and James waited boredly.

_Oh! A Muggle-born. Definitely not Slytherin, you wouldn't survive a day in there!_ Lily jumped and thought, _Er, you are in my head, right? And, I guess, thanks?_ The voice replied, _Of course I'm in your head, silly rabbit. Hm. Not Hufflepuff. You have tons of bravery, obviously. And clever. Ravenclaw or Gryffindor? I know! "_GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table cheered and Lily heaved a sigh of relief. She exchanged a sad glance with Severus and walked away. James waited patiently for the next person to be called.

"Lupin, Remus!" James turned and shot Remus a thumbs-up. Remus grinned weakly, then hurried to the stool. _My gosh! A werewolf, eh? Haven't sorted one of you in about a couple decades!_ Remus felt downtrodden and thought, _Then sort me in Slytherin. That's where my kind belongs, huh?_ The Hat said, _No, no, calm down... Not Slytherin. You have goodness in your heart. No Hufflepuff for you either. Ravenclaw or Gryffindor?_ Remus remembered Sirius made it in Gryffindor and thought, _Gryffindor, please._ The hat said, _Right, right... okay, _"GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius grinned and clapped Remus on the back. Lily smiled at Remus. The woman who Sirius now knew was called McGonagall (he learned from an older student) called, "McKinnon, Marlene!" Sirius didn't pay attention, she made it into Ravenclaw.

Then the cat called, "Mulciber-" Sirius ignored the rest. Mulciber was a well-known name in the Black household, he would definitely be in Slytherin. Sure enough, the Hat yelled, "Slytherin!"

A couple more people went by, and then McGonagall called Peter. Sirius looked up. Peter shook as he sat lightly on the stool. _Oooh, yes, this is easy. Probably Hufflepuff... but I don't know. Slight bravery in you. What say you?_ Peter thought, _Well, I dunno, I guess Gryffindor?_ The Hat said, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius smirked at James. _You're the only one left,_ his look seemed to say. James gulped and walked up to the stool when his name was called. _A Potter? _"GRYFFINDOR!" James broke into a smile and joined Sirius, Peter, and Remus. The Sorting continued and the greasy-hair kid was called. James learned he was called Severus Snape. He was sorted into Slytherin. James talked quietly with the other boys until Dumbledore stood and yelled, "Let the Feast... BEGIN!"

Food of all kind appeared on the table. Sirius and James beamed and grabbed every food in sight. They scarfed down the food eagerly and took seconds and thirds. Lily looked on in disgust, eating daintily.

Then dessert appeared and James reached for the treacle tart the same time Lily did. They looked at each other, then James snatched it up and broke off half for Lily. Lily looked surprised, then accepted the half and offered James a small smile. James smirked inside. Once everyone was finished eating, Dumbledore dismissed the students. The Gryffindors ran up to the portrait of the Fat Lady, James feeling surprisingly weightless and light and happy. The Prefect said, "Mimbletus wimbletoria."

James bounced on his toes excitedly and sprinted into the Common Room. The big room was completely red and gold, with red squashy couches and armchairs everywhere. There was a roaring fireplace and Sirius looked at James. "I love this place," he said.

James replied, "I think we're gonna have some good times here."

They ran up to the find their belongings in front of a bed. Sirius found his in the middle and said, "Haha, I'm in the middle!" in a singsong voice.

James found his right next to the bathroom and entrance. Sirius stuck his tongue out at James, while James felt he had the worst spot. Remus was next to James near the window, and Peter was next to Sirius.

"'Night, guys! See you tomorrow," James yawned. Sirius smiled and said, "G'night."

Remus and Peter just said, "'Night." and the four boys collapsed on their beds, and drifted off to a deep slumber.


	3. The First of the Marauders

**A/N: This story sort of centers on James and Sirius even though it's 3rd person. Like, it follows James and Sirius through the day. Sometimes I'll do Remus, Peter, and maybe a little Lily just so the story makes sense. Ciao!**

**~Emmy **

**Disclaimer: It's all J.K. Rowling's!**

**Hogwarts Castle**

**England**

**Gryffindor Tower**

Sirius woke the next morning, sunlight shining straight on his face. He sat up groggily and rubbed his eyes. _Where am I?_ thought Sirius._Oh, right... Gryffindor tower._ Sirius was gripped with a sense of dread when he realized what his parents would say... _You have better be place in Slytherin, or you shall shame the Black family! _ his mother's voice echoed. _Oops_, thought Sirius.

Water splashed on Sirius' face. He sat up, and found Remus and Peter's bed vacated. James was standing in front of him. "Er, mate, you slept in, so Remus and Pete left early. They told me to wake you up, so... yeah. Just saying, it's 5 minutes before nine."

Sirius' eyes widened. "No!" Sirius screamed, and jumped up, straightening his robes that had been slept in during the night.

He grabbed his bag and stuffed some random books, quills, ink, and parchment in it, slung the bag over his shoulder, and grabbed his wand. James followed Sirius as he jumped down the stairs, raced across the common room, and ran at lightning speed to the Great Hall. On the last couple steps, Sirius took a flying leap, screaming, "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" and crashed at Remus' feet. Remus looked bewildered, but stuffed a paper in Sirius' hand, said, "Schedule," and took off running.

Peter appeared at the doorway of the Great Hall to see the three boys running towards another hallway. Peter followed, having no idea where they were going. "WHERE ARE WE GOING?" yelled James.

Remus replied, "TRANSFIGURATION!" and then slowly skidded to a stop. "Where is it? The classroom?" Remus asked, his voice shaking.

Sirius arched an eyebrow and said, "Well, let us be _fashionably_ late," and struck a pose.

James grinned. Sirius rummaged through his bag and pulled out a mirror and a comb. The other boys watched, dumbstruck, as Sirius began combing his hair, and occasionally frowning.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Remus yelled in Sirius' ear. "We have to get to class!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Chill, man... just ask the portrait over there." Sirius pointed toward a random portrait.

Remus considered this, and approached the painting of an ugly man with a tomato shaped nose.

"You just had to choose the ugly one. But you know what they say... people can't choose what they look like," said Sirius, shaking his head. Remus shot Sirius a glare and continued, "Excuse me, sir? Could you tell us where the Transfiguration classroom is?"

The man replied, "Yes, yes... it's down the hall, take a right, 2nd classroom."

Remus replied, "Thank you," and led the group to the room.

They entered the classroom and immediately all eyes turned to them. James noticed they were 10 minutes late and gulped. Sirius scanned the room and noticed McGonagall was not there. "Oh, good, McGonagall isn't here yet," he whispered to James.

Then, a small tabby cat they hadn't seen before morphed into Professor McGonagall. "Whoa!" the four boys said in awe.

McGonagall gave them a tight smile, and said, "Boys, you are late. Please, take your seats."

The boys silently sat down in the back of the room. Lily glared at them and turned to pay attention. Obviously, she was at the front of the classroom. James ripped a small piece of parchment off the sheet, and scribbled something down. He pushed it to Sirius. Sirius unraveled the paper and read:

Evans is such a know-it-all.

**I know. She doesn't like us. I mean, why not? We are perfectly likeable blokes!**

Huh. Anyways, what do you say about our first prank at Hogwarts?

_You know, you two shouldn't be passing notes in class._

**Hush it, Remus. And you shouldn't be talking. Don't you know what you just did?**

_I was trying to STOP you. Bye. I'm taking notes._

Yeah, yeah, whatever. SO, back to our plans...

**We should make our target Evans and her greasy friend. You know, that Snape kid.**

Yep. Him. ULCH. Disgusting little git.

**Ya. So, what time?**

Let's see. How about Wednesday night at dinner?

**Sure thing. 'Sup, Pete?**

_**Why are you passing notes?**_

'Cuz we don't pay attention.

_**Uh-huh... well, I guess we could copy Remus' notes for exams.**_

**Right on, Pete!**

_Oh no you don't! These are __my__ notes!_

Aww, come on! We'll be your best friend!

**Speak for yourself. Me, the awesome Sirius Black? Friends with a bookworm? No way!**

Sirius...

**Okay, chill, I was joking.**

_I'm not sure about that..._

_**So. Moving on!**_

We should have a group name! You know, since we're the 1st year Gryffindor boys, and we're friends. Ya know?

**Yes. How about 'Sirius Is Cool Club?' Pretty catchy, huh? and for short, S.I.C.C.**

_Um, do you know what 'S.I.C.C.' sounds like? Sick._

**I know, it does, doesn't it?**

SIRIUS! HE MEANS THE LETTERS SOUND LIKE 'SICK'.

**Oh! Then that's even more perfect!**

_**Erm. I don't think we should do that.**_

**Then what? You ungrateful little brats.**

_Sirius! You know, I think we should do something more like about our group. For example, pranksters, friends, and those girly fashion cliques... yeah._

Well, it's obvious which one of those we choose.

_**The girly fashionable one? But I don't think that fits... it only does for Sirius!**_

**HEY! YOU'RE MEAN!**

YEAH PETE. (kidding. Nice one!)

_**Thanks.**_

_Calm down, Sirius, your face is red. _

**Yeah, well, your face is... orange!**

No it isn't.

**Huh. Look at that. Back to our name. It's PRANKSTERS.**

_**Wait, so we're called 'the Prankster?'**_

_No, I think he means category of the name._

Okay, so Remus! You find words that mean 'prankster' like, in a seethorus. Or something.

_It's thesaurus. Why do I even talk to you three!_

**Because we're awesome and we know it. Pete, you're in charge of... hmm. Never mind. JAMES! You have to make our group well-known with me. Like, we're those poster boys. I guess. And you and Pete make a plan for our first prank.**

… Whoa. I never knew you could write so long and so much! And how do we make it well-known?

**You know. I'll be myself, all suave, cool, and awesome. You need some training, though.**

WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?

**YOU DON'T EVEN BRUSH YOUR HAIR IN THE MORNING!**

_Whoa, whoa, whoa. CALM DOWN. _

_**I'm fine with my job. Hey James, you have an idea-**_

"What. Are. You. Four. Doing?!" a voice interrupted, quietly, yet threateningly.

As if on cue, the four faces paled. "Uh-oh, mustachio," murmured Sirius.

"It's pistachio," James hissed back.

"QUIET!" snapped McGonagall, "Please perform your note in front of the class as punishment. Learn your lesson this time!"

Sirius bounded to the front happily, saying, "I sincerely doubt it won't happen again," as he passed McGonagall.

James followed with a sheepish smile. Then, Peter got up and slowly walked behind James. Remus remained in his seat, shaking his head, and audibly repeating, "No,no,no,no,no,no,no,no-" "That is enough. Go, Mr. Lupin."

Remus fell out of his chair and stumbled to the front with a red face. "Come on, Rems, it's not that bad," Sirius said bracingly.

James unfolded the note and asked McGonagall to quadruple the paper. She glowered at James, then waved her wand, and a copy appeared in each of the boy's hands.

James cleared his throat, getting ready to start, with a slight turning in his stomach. "Evans is such a know-it-all," James started, glancing at Lily as he said this. Lily turned red in embarrassment, then buried her face in her arms.

Sirius continued dramatically, "I know! She doesn't like us. I mean, why not? We're perfectly likeable blokes!"

"Huh. Anywaaaaays, what do you say about our first prank at Hogwarts?" asked James, purposefully drawing out the waaaaay as long as he could.

Remus turned pink and stuttered, "You know, you two shouldn't be passing notes in class."

McGonagall smiled a bit at Remus. Sirius said loudly, "Hush it, Remus. And you shouldn't be talking. Don't you know what you just did?"

"I was trying to STOP you. Bye. I'm taking notes," said Remus, pompously.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now, back to our plans..." said James.

Sirius stage-whispered, "We should make our target Evan-geline!" James had elbowed him. Sirius continued, "and her greedy friend. You know, that Snake kid." Sirius made up the words as he went, enjoying himself.

"Yep. Her. ULCH. Disgusting little git," James said, following Sirius' example.

"Ya. So, what time?" asked Sirius.

"Let's see. How about Thursday night at noon?" asked James, improvising.

"Sure thing," Sirius replied. "'Sup Pete?" he asked.

Peter replied, "Why are you passing note?"

'Cuz we don't pay attention," said James.

"Uh-huh... well I guess we could copy-"

The bell rang. Remus, James, and Sirius sighed in relief, when Peter stopped right before he revealed they would copy Remus for exams. McGonagall said, "Right, well, class is dismissed. That is a warning boys! One more time, and you get detention!"

They nodded, and scurried out of the door, heading toward their next lesson, Potions. The teacher was called Professor H. Slughorn. He was fat, with blonde hair that already had a bald spot. Sirius whispered in James' ear, "He actually looks like a slug."

James smiled, then got to work. The rest of the classes for the day were boring, but the boys were careful not to pass notes again.

After lessons ended, James and Sirius dragged Remus and Peter up to their dorm, ignoring the cries and howls of indignation. Once the four boys were assembled in a circle on the floor, Sirius took charge. "Welcome to the first meeting of the synonym of Pranksters that we haven't thought of yet but Remus will soon!"

He pulled out a quill, a bottle of ink, and parchment. "As Pranksters, we must-"

Remus cut him off. "Hold on, I haven't agreed to be a prankster yet. Nor has Pete."

"So will you?" inquired James.

Remus sighed, knowing this was the only way to make friends, and succumbed to the dark side...

"Fine," replied Remus. Peter nodded in agreement.

"Okay, now that we have that covered..." said Sirius, shooting Remus a look. "We, as Pranksters, must 1. Find all secret passages in the school. 2. Cause pranks. 3. Known as a name. 4. Abuse all Slytherins. and 5. Be known for mischievous and behavior that I approve as prankster-ish. Questions?" Sirius scribbled the list down on the paper, and pinned it on the wall in the center of the room.

James said, "I agree with all terms. As you might all know, our first targets are Snivellus and Evans. So, let our ideas come pouring forth!" He looked expectantly at the other boys.

Remus coughed slightly. "Um, I think we shouldn't target specific people at first. We should make them harmless and fun pranks! You know, we could fill a floor with water, freeze it, and have an indoor ice-skating rink! Or, we could fill the Great Hall with fireworks, and write 'Courtesy of the' and then our group name!"

James, Sirius, and Peter stared at Remus. "I never knew you had it in you, mate!" exclaimed Sirius.

"I like the first one," said James.

"I don't know how to ice-skate!" Peter and Remus said simultaneously.

"You'll have to deal," dismissed Sirius. "Does anyone know the spell for water, and freezing?"

Everyone shook their head. "I can look for it in the Standard Book of Spells, Year 1," offered Remus.

"Good, good. Do that," said James.

The boys waited patiently (well, not in Sirius or James' case) as Remus pulled out a slightly used book from his trunk. After several minutes of searching, Remus exclaimed, "AHA! FOUND IT! It's 'aguamenti' to pour out water, and 'glacius' to freeze water."

Sirius grinned. "Let's do it tonight," he said. James agreed. The four boys snuck out to the Great Hall and ate dinner, their bodies jittering with excitement, and sneaking secretive glances at each other. Almost everyone notices this suspicious behavior, and Remus quietly told the boys, "Guys, everyone is staring at us. Don't be so obvious and nervous!"

James immediately stilled his random leg movements and plastered on a confident smirk. Sirius followed suit. Remus gave a wide smile. Peter dropped his fork. "Pete!" said Sirius. "Oh well. I mean, it's sort of normal, since it's Peter, you know..." James said calmly.

Peter looked as if he didn't know if he should be offended or not. Sirius said quietly, "We should go. I mean, there won't be much time if we wait until everyone finishes, or else it's not much fun."

Everyone nodded. "Come on," said Sirius, swinging his leg over the seat and standing up. He walked up the aisle, and many eyes followed his movements. Sirius suppressed a contemptuous smirk. James, Remus, and Peter exchanged exasperated glances at Sirius' narcissism. They quickly caught up with Sirius and emerged into the open Entrance Hall. Closing the doors behind them, the three boys stood in the center of the hall, each facing one direction, backs facing each other. Sirius stood in sight of the boys and counted down quietly, "Three, two, one... GO."

At once, James raised his wand and said, "Aguamenti!"

Water flowed smoothly in a jet from the tip of his wand and started flowing down the hallway. James was astonished he had performed the 3rd year level charm. Then he grinned. He was naturally gifted at magic. Remus turned to stand next to James and they held their wands side by side. Sirius joined Peter, who accomplished the spell around the 14th try, and they filled the whole floor with water. "Jump when I saw go," commanded Sirius, or their legs would be stuck in ice.

"Three, two, one, GO!" They jumped and yelled, "Glacius!" and fell hard on the ice.

"Whoooooaaaaa!" yelled Peter as he slipped and skid around.

Sirius grinned, grabbed a pair of ice skates that had for some reason appeared in front of the doors to the Great Hall. (They left an area so the doors could open. In that area, there were ice skates that Peeves had dropped off earlier, knowing the boys' plans). He laced up the skates, and gracefully skated around, twirling and striking poses. James gritted his teeth, and grabbed his own skates, and joined Sirius, but not as gracefully. The two boys pretended to be a couple. Remus watched, amazed, as Sirius tossed James in the air, who spun around. At the last second, Sirius caught James. They bowed. Remus let out a chuckle, and laced his own skates.

At that moment, the wooden doors flew open. The other students came out the hall, to be stopped by a layer of ice on the ground. The people who knew how to skate screamed excitedly and grabbed skates. But most just stared at Sirius and James' epic performance. Once they bowed in sync, the students started clapping wildly. "POTTER! BLACK! DETENTION!" screamed McGonagall, frustrated by her new students of only 1 day. Sirius skidded to a stop. "What? But, but, Remus and Peter-" Remus punched his ankle- "ATE MY PUDDING! Ow..." said Sirius, eyes watering. James beamed and said, "Thank you, thank you, Hogwarts!" Wild applause greeted him.

"My office. Now," said McGonagall. She grabbed the two boys by their wrists and pulled them to her office, slipping on the ice occasionally. "Boys, I am taking 20 points away from Gryffindor for each of you. Also a detention. In this school, marauding around is only tolerated depending on what the headmaster says. Also, that was quite advanced magic you performed, considering you didn't pay attention in classes! Anyways, you may go."

The two boys ran out of the office and dashed to Remus and Peter, who were waiting in the dorm. Remus looked worried. Sirius happily said, "Helllooooo boys, we-"

Sirius broke off and gazed out the window with a glassy look in his eyes. "I'VE GOT IT!" Sirius screamed.

"You've got what, rabies?" asked James, who had jumped violently when Sirius screamed.

"No no, no no, our name! The... wait for it... drum roll please! THE MARAUDERS!"

Remus' eyes widened in realization. "That's brilliant, Sirius!" James and Peter still looked confused.

"What?" asked Peter.

Sirius gave a dramatic sigh and said, "Remember when McGonagall said that marauding around is only tolerated according to Dumbledore? Yeah, well marauding is like pranking. I'm a genius!"

James also nodded slowly. "I like it!" he announced.

Peter gave a shrug and said, "I'm in."

Sirius got up and pulled out a radio, and blared the Wizarding Wireless Network and started dancing and singing. James clapped his hands over his ears. Remus' left eyebrow started twitching and he turned off the radio. "We have school tomorrow. You don't want it to end up like today, do you?"

Sirius gulped and changed into his pajamas immediately. He took a flying leap onto his bed and sang, "'night fellow Marauders!"

James grinned in the dark. "'Night!"

Remus also smiled and said, "Good night Siri, Jamesie, and Pete!"

Peter squeaked, "G'night."

Sirius said, "WAIT A SECOND. WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, _REMS?"_

"I called you Siri. You called me Rems!" Remus said indignantly.

"You called me Jamesie!" James said.

"Guys, I'm trying to sleep. Settle this tomorrow, why don't you!" Peter said tiredly. Sirius grumbled inaudibly and drifted off to a deep slumber.

**A/N: I wrote this while listening to One Direction and Eminem. So, sorry if it's a little weird… I'll probably update every other day to once a week. Adios!**

**~Em**


	4. Quidditch, Pranks, and Sickness

**Gryffindor Tower**

**Hogwarts**

The Marauders continued on for the rest of the week as usual. They gained a reputation from the rest of the school as the most mischievous, talented, and humorous boys in the school. On a Sunday, the Marauders were lounging around under the big beech tree near the lake when James said, "Let's do another prank."

Remus sighed. "We're going to get in trouble!" he said.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "You're such a wet blanket, Rems. I'm in!"

Peter also agreed. Remus said, "First you should plan your idea. I'll join if it's harmless."

James said, "Yeah, yeah. So, I think we should prank the Slytherins. I mean, we have around 3rd year level knowledge, shouldn't be that hard, eh mate?"

Sirius nodded. "Let's write our ideas down."

Peter said, "I have an idea. How about we sneak in their common room and pour some sticky glue all over? We can use wingardium leviosa to carry our supplies."

James and Sirius stared in shock. "Wow, Pete, I never knew you had such good ideas! Anyways, I think we could use some glittery red and gold glue and write, "Courtesy of the Marauders. No one know who we are, so we can sorta expand our known-ness," concluded Sirius.

Remus rolled his eyes, "Known-ness is not a word. You should say 'fame' or 'popularity.'"

Sirius waved him off. "So, how about it?"

James nodded. "I like the ideas, boys! When should we pull off our first prank as the Marauders?"

Peter said, "How about next week, on the full moon? Then it'll be creepier for the Slytherins."

Remus paled. "Um, guys, I can't do the prank with you."

James said, "But it's harmless!"

Remus said, "I know, but, uh, my mom is, like, really sick with this Muggle disease, so I need to go back, and visit her. It might be the last time I see her." Remus congratulated himself on his acting skills, and faked wiping a tear away.

James patted Remus on the back. "No worries, mate. We'll be here for you, always."

The other three boys went back to their plans, while Remus heard echoes in his head. _We'll be here for you, always. Always..._ Remus sincerely doubted it. After all, who would want to be friends with a werewolf?

James bounded along the well-trodden path down to the Quidditch Pitch. "Hurry up, guys," he called to his friends. Sirius ran down the hill and joined James. "Aren't you so excited? I love Quidditch, and I really want to try out for the team next year. For Beater. It's so fun to just THWACK the ball and see the Slytherins get pounded, and crushed into powder, and then get smushed by us Gryffindor team, and then we boil the remains and pour it down the drain..."

James raised an eyebrow, slightly disturbed, "Um, that's a little disgusting, don't you think?"

Sirius shook his head. "Nah, I mean, just a teeny bit painful. Anyways, what position do you want to play?"

James perked up. "I would LOVE to play Chaser. Or Seeker. I'm good at both," he boasted.

The two boys arrived at the stadium and entered the Pitch, standing on the plush green grass. "Ahhhh..." they sighed in unison. Only a couple girls were there; Lily and her friends, Marlene McKinnon, Mary MacDonald, and Hestia Jones. James and Sirius purposefully stood a couple feet away from them.

Remus and Peter entered a couple minutes later.

"Slowpokes," mumbled James. Sirius grinned.

Once all the 1st year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were there, a woman stalked out onto the pitch. She had piercing black eyes, and short black hair. "All right, 1st years. Welcome. I'm Madame Hooch. Please assemble into two lines, on the left of a broom."

There were a bunch of old-looking school brooms lying on the ground. James ran over to the closest one, and listened eagerly. "Now, put your right hand over the broom's handle, and say 'Up'. With power!"

James followed her instructions, and the broom zoomed into his hand immediately. He smirked proudly. Sirius managed it soon enough. Remus and Peter, however, were having a lot of trouble. Remus succeeded around his 20th try, and Peter just decided to pick up the broom.

It seemed out of Lily's friends, only Marlene was able to succeed.

Once everyone had their brooms in hand one way or another, Madame Hooch said, "Now, mount the broom."

She inspected everyone, and it took a long time for her to get to James. Once she arrived, though, she gave James one glance and said, "Perfect." James smiled widely, and saw Lily glowering at him as she struggled. James shot her a smirk.

Sirius was also deemed, "Great," after a couple corrections. Madame Hooch skipped Lily, Remus, Peter, and a lot of other people without a second glance.

"When I blow my whistle, you will push of with your feet. To go up, pull the handle up, To go down, angle the tip of the handle towards the ground. To turn left and right, turn in the direction you want to go. Three, two, one..." she blew the whistle.

Everyone rose above the ground. James and Sirius shot up and started performing tricks, showing off. They slapped five when they crossed five easily. Madame Hooch stared up amazedly.

"You two!" she yelled at James and Sirius, motioning at them to come down. They descended easily.

"What are your names?" she inquired.

"James Potter."

"Sirius Black."

"I think you two are good enough to be on the Quidditch team! There is a rule for no first years, though, but I shall talk to Dumbledore. But be sure to try out next year, definitely!" said Madame Hooch, impressed.

The two boys grinned with glee. They high-fived and jumped on the brooms and ascended again.

During the days preceding the full moon and the day of the prank, Remus became increasingly irritated. The day before, Remus was pale, sweating, and looked sick.

"Are you okay, Remus?" James asked gently. "I think you should go to the Hospital Wing."

Remus shook his head, then fell down onto the ground of their dorm. "That's it," James said firmly. "Sirius! Peter! Help me get Remus to the Hospital Wing!"

The boys carried and lugged Remus' frail body into the sickroom, receiving many awkward glances on the way. "Madame Pomfrey!" Sirius called, waving his free arm.

Madame Pomfrey appeared, then gasped. Without a word, she helped Remus onto a bed and closed the curtains around him. "Boys, please leave. I'm afraid Mr. Lupin is quite unwell. Go inform all of his teachers and the headmaster that Remus is unable to attend classes for the rest of today, tomorrow, and the day after."

The boys exchanged looks. "But Remus is supposed to visit his Muggle mom tomorrow!" Peter protested. Madame Pomfrey gave the boys a dark look. "Go!" she commanded.

The boys left grudgingly. "I hope Remus is okay!" said James dejectedly. Sirius thumped James on the back. "Cheer up! Our prank is tomorrow!"

James brightened up and smiled in delight. "I can't wait!" he declared.

The next day, the three boys were cheerier than usual. The other students exchanged nervous glances. The last time there was this suspicious behavior, a prank had occurred. James frowned. "Guys? Y'know our last prank? We were all jittery, and then we had a prank. So now... we're still happier than normal, they'll know immediately we're the Marauders."

Sirius grimaced, "Good point."

The three boys closed their eyes in the middle of Charms class, crossed their legs, held up their hands and started saying, "Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm."

Professor Flitwick squeaked, "Boys! This is not the time for meditating!"

Their eyes didn't open, but the noise became a lot quieter. Professor Flitwick sighed. All the teachers knew that the four would not listen, except Remus, maybe. But Remus was not there, so he could not control the others.

After dinner, the whole school was increasingly nervous. Every time they heard something or felt something, they screamed loudly. After all, the three boys had not pulled off the prank that they knew were coming! Some people started doubting there was a prank, though, and the behavior had been something to throw them off.

But, what did they know? James ushered the boys off to the dormitory, and locked the door with "Alohomora" and for precaution, "Silencio."

"Okay, boys. Sirius, grab the super-sticky glue and the pink dye. Pete, the glitter and get us our wands. And I shall present you with a most amazing object."

James rummaged in his trunk and pulled out a cloak. It looked like a water puddle with rainbow oil spills in it. James put on the cloak, and Peter and Sirius gasped. "You have an invisibility cloak?!" Peter screeched.

James grinned. "Uh-huh. So, Pete, my wand?" Peter gave Sirius and James their wands.

James performed a lighten charm on the glue, dye, and glitter. He motioned for the boys to gather together in a huddle. James threw the cloak over the three, and was relieved to see the cloak was big enough to cover all of them. He grabbed the dye from Sirius and they snuck down the stairs to the common room. There were still a lot of people up. They cautiously crept around the edge of the room to the portrait hole. James was thinking of a plan to open the door without anyone noticing, when the door opened on it's own. In walked the one and only Lily Evans.

The boys backed up quickly and Lily walked over to her friends. They edged out of the common room and proceeded to the dungeons. The halls were crowded, and James winced every time someone said, "Who's there?" when he, Peter, or Sirius accidentally nudged someone.

Finally, they arrived at the dungeons. The three boys waited near the entrance to the dungeons for a Slytherin. One appeared. It was, coincidentally, Severus Snape!

The three followed Snivellus through the dungeons and watched him approach a wide expanse of stone wall. He looked around for intruders, then said clearly, "Salazar." The wall slid open to reveal a glowing green-blue room. The door slid closed behind Snape, and the boys waited, dawdling, near the entrance. Once Sirius' watch beeped 1:00 A.M., James shook awake Peter, who had drifted into a light sleep. James whispered, "Salazar," and the wall opened. The boys slipped inside. James held back a sneer. The Slytherin common room seemed to be in the lake, underground. That was why there was such a ghostly, creepy glow. James recalled the Gryffindor common room, and felt contempt for this disgusting, slimy, Slytherin hole.

No one was in the room so James pulled the cloak off. Sirius slowly uncapped the super sticky glue and weaved in and out of the array of chairs and tables, tilting the jar so that the glue followed him. There was an endless trail of the yellow-orange substance, it seemed. While Sirius did this, Peter ran to the largest wall in the room, and James hoisted Peter onto his shoulders. Peter used a paintbrush to write in glittery red and gold, "COURTESY OF THE MARAUDERS. GRYFFINDOR RULES!" Then James let Peter down and ran to the dorms. He brought the Invisibility Cloak and tip-toed to each dorm, spreading the pink dye across each Slytherin's face. By the time he finished, it was 2:30 in the morning. James snuck back to the common room, took off the cloak, and was about to step down when Sirius whisper-screamed, "NO!"

James' toe was a centimeter away when he looked down. The floor was covered in gooey glue, and the walls were drizzled in it. James looked at Sirius, who was across the room with Peter, in a small patch of floor next to the entrance. James was stuck.

Sirius looked horrified, and said, "James! Don't move!"

He obediently followed Sirius' directions, after all, he couldn't move! Sirius took out his wand. James let out a sigh of relief, knowing Sirius was about to vanish the glue. But noooo.

Sirius was pointing his wand at James. "_Wingardium Leviosa!" _

James rose into the air started flying toward Sirius. _Uh-oh, _thought James. But happily, James arrived safely. He looked at their handiwork, then waved his wand. The glue was now camouflaged into the ground. James sighed in contentment. "Let's go!" he said quietly.

The three left the dungeons, and were running through the halls when Sirius heard footsteps. "Stop! Someone's here!" he hissed.

They skidded to a stop, and backed into a corner next to a tapestry. They heard Argus Filch say to his cat, "Is someone here, my dear?"

The figure rounded the corner, and headed straight towards the boys. Peter held back a squeak and leaned back against the tapestry and prepared himself for expulsion. But instead, Peter fell backwards through the tapestry and disappeared. Sirius and James looked at each other in panic. Then they dove together into the tapestry and disappeared. The two boys landed in a dirt tunnel, and started rolling downhill for a long time until they landed in a heap right on top of Peter.

"What the hell just happened?" croaked Sirius.

James grinned, "I think we just found a secret passage."

The boys continued on, and started going uphill, until James bonked his head on the ceiling. Peter tripped forward and hit a hard dirt wall. "Ow," they groaned in sync. Sirius laughed at them and reached his hands up. He touched a hard surface. Then, he pushed, and a faint light shone down at the boys.

Sirius hauled himself onto the floor and helped the others up. Then they looked around. It looked like they were on the 6th floor near the staircases. The place where they had emerged was a plain square tile on the floor, but there was a teensy navy blue button in the exact center. Sirius pressed it, and the tile immediately flipped up. The dirt tunnel was underneath. "Cool!" they whispered.

The boys quickly entered the Gryffindor common room and into their dorm. Just then, there was a loud, long howl outside. Peter peeked out, and didn't see anything. "There must be a werewolf out there," Pete said.

James frowned. "I hope Remus is okay... Nice job, guys! I can't wait until tomorrow morning!"

When the boys woke up, it was 6:00 in the morning, they only slept for three hours. They descended to the Great Hall and saw not many people were there, and not a single Slytherin. James, Sirius, and Peter exchanged evil grins.

They dawdled, eating a little bit of this, a little bit of that, until most of the school was there. Except, of course, the Slytherins.

Every single person in the school (excluding Remus) knew it was the handiwork of Sirius, James, and Peter. This is not what the Marauders wanted, after all, they didn't want to be known so quickly. So, the three put their heads together and decided to pull a back-to-back prank. James took out his wand and swept it around a couple times. Confused, the school followed his actions. Wasn't the prank for the Slytherins, since they weren't there?

James continued moving his wand arm wildly, faking spells. When everyone stared, transfixed, at James, Sirius and Peter angled their wand toward the ceiling under the table. They whispered something inaudible and the sky suddenly darkened and it started raining cats and dogs! Literally, there were cats and dogs. The cats scratched and screeched at the students, who started screaming. There were no gashes, though. The dogs bit ankles of the students, but there were also no wounds.

All at once, the animals vanished and the sky lightened. Everyone applauded loudly. Professor McGonagall marched up to the threesome and was about to yell. Then, there was a sudden commotion at the door. A whole crowd of pink Slytherins with yellow feet had entered. The Hall erupted into guffaws, roars, laughs, giggles, and pure hilariousness. The Slytherins at the front struggled to lift a foot and planted it on the floor. Then they forcefully lifted the other foot. In this way, the house proceeded to the table, and sat down, blushing.

All of a sudden, a 7th year Slytherin stood up. "Can I have your attention please?" he yelled.

It was suddenly deathly quiet. "Who are the Marauders?" he asked loudly.

Everyone looked suspiciously at James, Sirius, and Peter.

James said loudly, "It wasn't us. After all, who would pull off a back-to-back prank?"

Everyone started murmuring in agreement. The Slytherins glared at the Marauders. "Whoever it is, we will find you eventually!" thundered another boy.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Nuh-uh they won't. And guys, we _really _need to work on our skills, since everyone is so suspicious. And, I have another idea. Rems is back today!"

James and Peter's eyes widened, and, as one, they ran to the Hospital Wing. "Madame Pomfrey? Is Remus here?"

Madame Pomfrey appeared, looking exhausted. "Uh, yes, boys, but this isn't exactly the best time-"

The boys pushed past her and ran to the bed hidden in the corner.

"Bloody hell."

Remus was there, yes, but he looked tortured. No, worse. Remus looked like a sack of raw meat that had been ripped open in a ton of different places and been dropped a lot. James winced at the image, but it was the truth. Remus had cuts and gashes everywhere, and bruises the size of a football. (**A/N: Remember this is England, so football is actually soccer.)**

"Remus?" asked Peter.

Remus opened his eyes and gasped. "What are you doing here?"

James said, "We're visiting you. What happened?"

Remus seemed to hesitate for a fraction of a second, then said, "There was a huge, violent cat at my house that my parents got over the semester."

Sirius raised his eyebrows skeptically, "Must've been a big cat."

Remus nodded convincingly, "It was." Trying to change the subject, he added, "So how was the prank?"

The three boys' eyes lightened up.

"Oh my god, we found-"

"No one knows we're the Marauders, well, they do, but-"

"We had a back-to-back prank 'cause-"

Remus laughed. "Calm down. Start over one by one."

Sirius said, "I go first!" Then he told Remus about the secret passageway, and where it was, and about him levitating James across the glue.

James talked about pulling off the prank and the Invisibility Cloak.

Peter told Remus how they came up with the second prank and how no one knew they were the Marauders _yet_ but were slightly suspicious.

Remus' mouth was wide open by the end of their tale. "You guys did all this? Whoa, that's so cool!"

James nodded happily. "Yep. So, Rems, when are you going to get out of the Hospital Wing?"

Remus shrugged. "Maybe tomorrow. Hey, did Madame Hooch get back to you guys about the Quidditch team?"

Sirius shook his head. "James and I decided to wait a year. You know, so we can get used to pranking, and then next year we'll try out, we'll make the team, and then we'll have parties after each game when we win..."

Sirius trailed off, and he and James gazed out of the window dreamily. Remus and Peter just laughed.


	5. Halloween

**A/N: 'Sup... new chapter! **

**~Emmy**

**Disclaimer: ITS MINE! MWAHAHA! No, it's all J.K. Rowling's!**

**Hogwarts**

**Great Hall**

**September 31st, 1970**

"Guys! Gueessss what?" bellowed James excitedly.

Remus rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Oh, no, it can't _possibly _be that the 1st Quidditch match of the year is tomorrow, is it?"

Peter nodded at Remus and said, "You've _only _been talking about it, let's see, a minute?"

"An hour."

"One day."

"All week!"

Sirius added, "Every single bloody second! Not that I blame you, mate, it _is_ Quidditch-" Here, Remus and Peter rolled their eyes, "-Yet the way you talk about it..." Sirius sighed.

James pouted sadly. "You guys are so mean! Discouraging my dream of becoming a professional Quidditch player!"

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, right, and that's when I become a chocolate-flavored hot dog dressed in a pink tutu called Banana!"

James was trying to piece together the image when Remus piped up, "Did someone say chocolate?"

Sirius groaned, reached over to Remus, and pushed his face into a plate of butter. "ARGHHHHHH!" Remus screamed in outrage. He grabbed a plate of jam and dumped it in Sirius' hair.

Sirius' girly shriek made everyone in the hall look up. "NOT THE HAIR, NO, I MUST HAVE REVENGE!" Sirius yelled a battle cry, and took a glass of pumpkin juice and upturned it onto Remus. Remus grabbed a plate of bacon and threw it at Sirius, but missed and hit James. James was covered with grease, then grabbed toast, dunked it in syrup, and aimed at Sirius.

Sirius let out a betrayed gasp. "You wouldn't!" he choked out in fake pain.

James gave Sirius a fake sorrowful look, then said, "I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be." He let out a fake sob, then the syrup was on its way to Sirius.

Everyone's head followed the toast head toward when Sirius. At the last moment, he dove to the side, and it hit Peter. Peter had been calmly eating his muffin when the syrup his him. He yelled, then grabbed a whole basket of muffins and started shooting James with tons of blueberry and chocolate chip muffins. The grease-covered James squealed and ran out of the hall, arms raised in surrender.

There was silence in the Hall, then Sirius said, "Nice shot, mate."

Everyone erupted in cheers, and then McGonagall came down. Sirius knew the drill, detention, but it was Remus' first punishment. "Professor, I was provoked! It was Black, he shoved my face in butter!" Remus pleaded.

Sirius thought, _So now I'm Black, eh? _He took a glass of milk and spilled it on Remus, then ran out after James.

Remus stood there dripping milk, astonished. "Wha'?" he croaked in confusion.

McGonagall gave him a pitiful smile. "Never mind. Go wash yourself off!"

Remus whooped with glee, then twirled away after Sirius. Peter saw they were all gone, then ran after Remus, screaming, "NOOO! WAIT! THE SLYTHERINS ARE COMING, REMUS! SAVE ME! NOOOOOOOO!"

The students exchanged amused glances at the 1st year's antics.

**Quidditch Match**

**Hogwarts**

**October 3rd, 1970**

"Let's go, Gryffindor! Let's go Gryffindor!" chanted the Marauders as they stood in the mid-fall chill. The red blurs zoomed around in the air, with the Hufflepuffs. James was watching the Chasers intently, Sirius the same with the Beaters.

"SCORE BY FABIAN PREWETT! 60-30, GRYFFINDOR!" yelled the commentator. The Gryffindors roared their approval. James jumped for joy, almost falling.

"Watch it, Potter," sneered Lily Evans' voice.

James spun around in surprise. "Oh, it's you!"

Lily rolled her eyes, "Yes, it's me! What, is that a shocker?"

James glared at Lily. "It is a shocker to me that you actually care about Quidditch. Considering your _amazing_ abilities on a broom."

Lily blushed slightly and said, "Oh, please. Quidditch doesn't matter, classes are more important. And I'm sure you wouldn't know that, since your grades are oh so good."

James puffed up his chest arrogantly. "I know, I have all O's!"

Lily tried to look as if she didn't give a crap, but James had seen her shock plainly on her face.

James turned to the front again, pleased with himself.

After the game, (Gryffindor won), the whole House went to the common room, where there was supposed to be a party. James and Sirius grabbed bottles of butterbeer that some 7th year had filched from Hogsmeade. James took a swig. "This is amazing!" he gasped to Sirius.

Sirius tasted it, and said, "I love it!" and went back to grab a couple bottles to put in their dormitory.

James wandered around the room until he found one of the Chasers, Ben Wood. "Hello," he said politely. "You did awesome today!" Ben, a 7th year, smiled. "Thanks. James, right?"

James nodded, "I loved your move for your 3rd goal! That twist thingy was great!"

Ben grinned, "Thanks. You going to try out for Chaser next year?"

James replied in the affirmative, then skipped off to look around more.

"James!" someone called. It was Sirius. His face was lit up with glee.

"What is it?" James asked curiously.

"Find Peter and the I.C. I'll get Remus. Meet me back here once you find him."

Sirius skirted around the corner of the room, looking for Remus. He found him eventually, in the middle of a circle of Gryffindor girls. "REMUS!" he screamed loudly.

Remus looked around and saw Sirius. "What?" he asked, exasperated.

"Come with me," Sirius said loudly, over the music and talking.

Remus frowned, "Why?"

Sirius' eye movements showed he had found something, so Remus followed Sirius away from the girls whom he had been talking with about Transfiguration. He arrived at the Portrait Hole, and saw James and Peter were already waiting. Sirius waved at him to hurry up, then left the Gryffindor common room. Remus sped up and emerged into the empty hallway, confused. "Sirius?" questioned Remus, James, and Peter.

"I found it. The kitchens!" Sirius said victoriously.

"How?" asked James in bewilderment.

"I followed this 5th year down to the kitchens. Now come on! Get the cloak on!" Sirius commanded. They did as he told, then snuck all the way down to the Ground floor. Sirius turned left sharply, then went down a spiral staircase.

"The Hufflepuff common room and the Kitchens are down here!" he whispered. They were in a circular room with a half dozen portraits, all of food. Sirius went to the one directly to the right of them, which held a couple fruit. Sirius approached the portrait, then reached forward and tickled the big green pear.

James thought he had gone mad, when the pear giggled, and a handle appeared. Sirius swung open the door and disappeared inside. The other boys looked at each other, realized they hadn't heard Sirius scream and be mauled in some way, then followed through.

**The Kitchens**

**Hogwarts**

**Oct. 3rd, 1970**

The kitchens were huge. There were four long wooden tables just like the ones in the Great Hall, and Remus suspected if something was placed there, the same thing would appear on the tables in the Great Hall. Remus told Sirius this, and Sirius said, "Right you are, Remus! It's all because of these house-elves here!"

Remus was confused, then looked down. He jumped in shock. There were tons of green-brown creatures, the height of Remus' knee. "What can Bitsy get for Master Black and his companions?" asked a young little house-elf.

James broke into a wide smile and said, "Some butterbeer, and a plate of chocolate pudding, please!"

Remus felt faint, and said, "Chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate."

Peter said, "Anything you want."

Sirius said, "Thanks, Bitsy, but I'm feeling quite full from our party. You know, since Gryffindor won the Quidditch match!"

Bitsy bowed low and said, "Congratulations."

Sirius led the group to a small wooden table for four near the edge of the kitchens, and sat down. A couple moments later, their orders appeared. The house-elves had chosen a complicated strawberry yogurt covered pretzel on pie delight for Peter. His eyes bulged and he devoured it.

Sirius sat back proudly. "Nice, eh? After you eat, I reckon we should get back, after all, it's after curfew, and we should get some secret-passageway discovering done tomorrow. Let's start on the seventh floor."

So after they finished eating, they left the kitchens, and quickly entered the Gryffindor common room. Inside, many students were gone, now only 5th, 6th, and 7th years were remaining, drinking alcohol and inappropriate things.

When the Marauders appeared, they all gaped at the 1st years as they scampered up to the dormitory. Sirius remained, though, and told the older students, "Yeah, don't mind us. We were down in the kitchens."

Then Sirius ran away.

The next day, Remus began to be peaky again. "Rems! Want some chocolate? I got it at the kitchens," James hissed the last part.

Everyone expected Remus to grin widely and accept, so they were shocked when he slapped James' hand away and groaned. "Rems?" asked James, concerned.

"Go away," he mumbled.

"Humph! Well then..." James indignantly walked away, then tripped over Remus' foot. "Holy cow, Remus! What was that for?"

Remus glared at James and said, "I tired."

James was confused and said, "So? What do you want me to do, bring you to the dormitory?"

Remus nodded and reached for James' hands, closing his eyes and falling asleep. James called over Sirius and Peter, and they lugged Remus to the dorm.

"Again?" asked Sirius.

James nodded in sympathy. Sirius fell quiet and walked out of the dorm. He headed to the kitchens to grab a plate of bacon. Sirius found James in the common room, then said, "I reckon we should do another prank. You know, for Halloween." Sirius pointed at a poster for the Halloween feast.

James nodded thoughtfully. "This time, we should wait for Remus to get better."

Sirius waved him off, then skipped away to go who knows where.

Meanwhile, Remus was upstairs, feeling sick, pale, tired, and sweaty. He heaved himself off the bed and plodded downstairs. James caught sight of Remus, and asked, "Why did you get up?", sounding like a mother bird.

Remus waved James away, just like Sirius a couple minutes ago. He headed out of the Gryffindor common room, knowing James was watching him in worry. Remus walked to the Hospital Wing and sank into a soft chair. Madame Pomfrey approached him, with a worried look on her face. "Come with me!" she whispered. Remus got up and trudged to her office. Madame Pomfrey pressed a box of vials filled with potion in his hands.

"This potion will cure your fatigue and sickness before and after the full moon. Tomorrow, meet me at five o'clock here."

Remus nodded, and brought the box to his dorm, drinking a vial, and stuffing the box under the bed. He told everyone it was a box of Honeydukes chocolate his dad sent him.

**Halloween**

**Hogwarts, Great Hall**

**10/31/1970**

"PETER! REMUS! JAMES!" screamed Sirius frantically.

"'Sup, Siri?" asked James.

"First, don't call me that. Second, I can't find our plans for the prank. Third, my hair is messed up. Fourth, I can't find my costume. Fifth... yeah, I got nothing."

James said, "Yeah, well, _Siri_, I have the plan, go brush it with comb number 6, and your costume is on you."

Sirius looked down and was surprised to see that he was already in the pirate costume.

"Oh! Well... have you and Pete and Rems got your pirate costume on?" Sirius asked, then ran off to brush his hair using Comb no. 6.

James called the rest of the Marauders up to the dormitory. "You have your costumes on?"

Remus and Peter were dressed, so James hurriedly changed and brought out the Invisibility Cloak. "Okay, guys. Come on."

They were halfway down the stairs when Sirius screamed, "You forgot me!"

James paused and yelled, "Well hurry up!"

Sirius clomped down the stairs, and tossed his hair. "Hola."

James thumped Sirius on the head and resumed walking. Sirius whimpered, then scurried under the cloak to follow.

The boys stood at the entrance of the Great Hall, invisible. Everyone was talking happily, not knowing what was coming. James gave the signal to go, and the boys raised their wands, and whispered, "Tenebrescere Caelum!" The hall turned pitch black.

Each of the boys took a table and made hissing noises as they passed. A couple girls screamed, then James whispered, "Accio bats!"

A huge hoard of bats in all sizes came flying through the doorway. Since it was dark, no one knew the source of the sounds, and was flying over their heads. The hall erupted into chaos, everyone screamed and started running around.

Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light, and on the ceiling there were the words 'the Marauders' in yellow and black. The students fell quiet. Hadn't the Marauders been Gryffindors? they were thinking.

At this time, there was lightning and thunder sounds throughout the hall, and there was a voice.

"_THIS IS TOMMY. I AM PIRATE. I WAS LOST. NOW I SCARED. I NEED HELP. ONLY THREE WORDS. THERE IS CURSE. HELP OR DIE. MUHAHAHAHA!" _ Tommy was, in fact, Sirius. The hall lightened slightly, then there was a spotlight at the front of the room.

One figure appeared. It was Remus. "Hello, fellow student-os. It is I, Sirames Lupigrew. I am Tommy's brother. We are adventurers!"

Remus was joined by Sirius. "Yes, thank you, thank you. We are a quartet. Our name is... Sreduaram!"

James bounded into the light, "As you can see, we are pirates! We sail the world, exploring for fair young maidens to devour!" Several 1st and 2nd year girls shrieked.

Peter tripped in the light and mumbled, "And... we dye blueberries! Because they're green! I mean, because they're pink! No, orange! Ahh... never mind."

James groaned, "PETE! WE TOLD YOU TO MAKE SOMETHING UP!"

Sirius and Remus glared at James menacingly. James gulped and slid down to the ground.

"Hey! That's James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter!"

"Those are the Gryffindor boys!"

"I know them!"

"POTTER!"

"Sirius? Your mother will be ashamed!"

"Funny, Lupin!"

"RUN!" screeched Sirius. They dashed down the aisles for their lives. As soon as they reached the door, they split up and kept on running away from trouble. Sirius crashed into the kitchens, while James pulled on his Invisibility Cloak and followed Remus. Remus went clomping up to the 3rd floor and ducked into the secret passageway. James admired Remus' thinking, and then dove after Remus. Peter froze and fast-walked into a dark corner and hid. Soon after, the students and teachers started searching for the boys. Peter was found easily, but it took about an hour for Sirius to be found when an older student felt hungry and grabbed some food. James and Remus got bored since no one had found the passageway before.

"Rems!" James said. Remus screamed. "No, Rems, it's me! I have my Invisibility Cloak with me!"

Remus calmed down and said, "Merlin, James... I suppose we should go outside and look around."

The two boys walked out into the hall and were met with a flooded corrider with students. They were calling, "Potter! Lupin! We found Black and Pettigrew, come out!"

They retreated back into the tapestry and gazed at each other in panic.


	6. Discovery

**Hogwarts**

**November 2nd, 1970**

Sirius and Peter were held hostage in the teacher's lounge. All learning was put on hold for 3 days to look for James and Remus, but if it took longer-the teachers didn't know what to do next.

Of course, no one bothered asking Sirius and Peter where the other boys were. Sirius suspected the secret passageway, but did not confide in anyone. Peter had no clue as usual. James and Remus were getting bored and hungry, so James suggested he go to the kitchens to sneak some food. Remus willingly agreed, craving chocolate badly.

James poked his face out of the tapestry, and was bombarded by voices calling for James and Remus. The hall had many people in it, and James doubted he could make it without being caught. But he was very hungry, so James took a deep breath and plunged into the corridor.

James flattened himself against the wall and started inching along the hallway. He was just starting to enjoy himself and walked more freely when he bumped into a hard object with his foot. James looked down, and saw Filch's cat at his foot, meowing loudly, and staring right at James. He gulped and whispered, "Good kitty, good kitty..." then he took off with a run, dodging the crowds. James rounded a corner and crashed into a tall figure.

"There's someone here!" shouted a voice. It was Professor McGonagall. She started wildly flailing her arms around, and James ducked and crawled close to the ground to avoid getting hit.

When McGonagall shouted out, a stampede of students headed toward her. James was bruised all over when people stepped and kneed him, and he started panicking. James stood up, and pushed past the crowd and sprinted for the kitchens. He ran to the portrait, and opened the door.

There were a ton of students there, bored from the search for James, and all of them saw the door open. They stood as one.

"Who's there?" someone shouted. James squeaked quietly, and tip-toed to a basket of food. James kept his eyes on the students, so he accidentally knocked over a plate of strawberries. It landed with a crash, and all eyes whipped towards James.

James felt like he was going to cry, but then he had a voice in his head say, "Come on, James, man up. So what you're going to do is take the basket of food, stay invisible, and go to the teacher's lounge. There will be help there."

The voice sounded suspiciously like Sirius', so James immediately wanted to do the exact opposite of what the voice said. But what other choice did he have?

James tip-toed away and got an idea. He took an apple and launched it toward a plate of pudding as far away from him as possible. The students immediately started searching in the other corner, and James grinned at his genius, then grabbed the basket and ran. James burst through the door, and slowed to a walk between the throngs of people. James then realized he had no idea where the teacher's lounge was.

** Hogwarts**

** Teacher's Lounge**

While James was wandering around the castle, Sirius was thinking up a plan to escape. "Psst, Pete," he muttered. Peter jolted upright and looked around wildly.

"I'm thinking we should escape. Find James and Remus. And put an end to all this!" Sirius waved his arms around wildly, hitting Peter in the face.

"Urghmmunphelumph," Peter replied, clasping his face and moaning.

Sirius saw a window of opportunity and screamed, "Professor! Peter is hurt!"

Professor McGonagall hurried over and exclaimed, "All right, Pettigrew, who did this?"

Peter started to say, "Sir-"

"It was the boy! You know, THE boy. The one," Sirius interrupted.

McGonagall raised her eyebrows. "I see no _boy_, Black."

Sirius protested, "But I know what he looks like! He had hair, that was short, he was short, he wore shoes, and a cloak, and he was a boy. He was also breathing."

Sirius felt very satisfied with his description, but McGonagall was glowering. "What?" he asked indignantly, "that's exactly what he was like!"

McGonagall took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. "I've had enough," she said, "I'm stopping the search and we'll just wait for the boys to come out, which will be soon, I am sure."

McGonagall swept out of the room, leaving Sirius and Peter by themselves. Once she left, Sirius and Peter- or Sirius- sprang into action. He fast-walked to the door, ready to escape, and said, "Okay, Pete. Here's the plan. We'll leave, find the other boys, and go to our dorm, and hide from the school, then fly on a magic carpet to London. Then, we'll get jobs, disguise ourselves, and become Minister of Magic! But wait, we can't all be the Minister... so I'll be the Minister, James is the Head of the Aurors, Remus can be the Headmaster of Hogwarts! And you can, um, be the head of food everywhere!"

Sirius awaited for Peter's reaction, but didn't hear a thing. "Uh, Pete?" he said.

Sirius turned around and saw Peter all the way across the room, rubbing his head and reaching for a donut on the table. "NOOOOOO," cried Sirius, "Pete, those donuts are evil! The teachers put them there so you would eat them! If you eat it, you'll turn into a little, small, furry rabbit, and then you'll never be able to talk, or eat, or move again!"

Peter froze, and trembled, "Really? But... I thought McGonagall cared about us!"

Sirius nodded thoughtfully, then said, "But to be on the safe side... let me try them first."

Sirius grabbed the donut out of Peter's fingers, stuffed it in his mouth, and swallowed. "They're fine. But maybe the effect will only take place on small, short, fat, blonde-haired, blue-eyed boys! I've heard they are the most vulnerable kind of people. Now off we go! To save Jamesies, and Rems!" Laughing maniacally, Sirius ran out of the teacher's room and away.

Meanwhile, McGonagall had summoned all of the students to the Great Hall and said, "I've had enough of the four boys, and I have decided to halt the search for Potter and Lupin. Now off you go! Class will begin as usual tomorrow."

There were a series of groans throughout the room, since the students had been enjoying the break from homework, especially the 5th and 7th years. Slowly, the students filed out of the Hall.

When Sirius had dashed away in hopes of finding James and Remus, Peter had trotted after him, straining to catch up. "Sirius! Siiiirrrriiiiiius! Wait up!" he called breathlessly.

Sirius ignored him, and ran even faster. "Meet me at the entrance of the S.P.! YOU KNOW, OUR _PLACE_ FROM _THAT TIME WHEN WE ESCAPED._"

Sirius laughed again, then disappeared from Peter's line of sight. Peter sighed and started sprinting as fast as he could after Sirius. Sirius was running toward the secret passage, when he smacked into a super hard object. "OW!" yelled two voices. Sirius clutched his nose, which was bleeding heavily, and the person appeared and said, "What the heck-Sirius?"

Sirius looked up and said, "Dames? Dat are doo doing heh?"

James said, "Omigod, you have to go to the Hospital Wing! Remus and I were hungry, so I came to the kitchens, and then I was going to find you!"

Sirius yelled, "Let's go!"

Peter rounded the corner and saw James, and halted. "James, why are you here?"

"Peter, shut up and run!" bellowed Sirius, and the three took off toward the secret passage, right when voices and footsteps filled the hallway.

The rest of the school was leaving the Great Hall, eager to take a break from the search. They saw the back of Peter, and started running after him.

"Oy! Pettigrew! What are you doing here?"

"I think I see Black!"

"Is that Potter?"

"Where's Lupin?"

James, Sirius, and Peter started panicking. Luckily, they were only a couple hallways away from the tapestry, and James yelled, "I don't think we should go back. I mean, big deal if they catch us. What, are they going to expel us? For pranking? And hiding?"

Peter and Sirius saw sense, but kept running. "Remus!" Sirius yelled.

Once they arrived at the tapestry, James dove in and yelled, "Remus! Come out! We're exposing ourselves."

Remus snatched up the basket of food in James' hands and started wildly eating. "What did yueh juh sah," asked Remus.

"Um, we're exposing ourselves! Showing the school ourselves, and accepting our punishment," James said importantly.

Remus stared at James, his mouth filled with food. ''What?"

James sighed. "WE ARE LEAVING. NOT HIDING."

The students caught up with them and started screaming hysterically. "IT'S THEM! PROFESSOR! WE FOUND THEM!"

The teachers arrived and the hallways were chaotic. Professor McGonagall seized the four boys and dragged them to the headmaster's office.

In front of a statue of a gargoyle that blocked access to Dumbledore's office, stood the Marauders and Professor McGonagall.

"Pepper Imps," McGonagall said.

The gargoyle moved, and the group trooped onto the spiral staircase and arised in front of a pair of double doors. "Come in!" Dumbledore could be heard.

Professor McGonagall forced the four into the office and said immediately, "Professor Dumbledore, I demand these four be punished for their offensive behavior, and these two-" she motioned toward James and Remus, "-for hiding from the school for an extensive time."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Minerva, I do not believe this is adequate enough for you to bring them to my office. I will give these boys double detentions for a week, and an additional week for James and Remus. That is all and you may leave."

"But Professor! They have been disrupting classes, and disturbing my students from learning!" McGonagall protested.

Dumbledore looked straight at McGonagall. "Professor McGonagall, I say these boys will only get detention. If you feel otherwise, feel free to let me know, but I will not punish them for something as trivial as pranking. There are bigger issues in the world."

McGonagall looked like she had swallowed a lemon. "Very, very well, Professor."

The boys hurried out of Dumbledore's office, and looked at each other.

"Heh. Heh," said Sirius.

"Teehee," said Remus.

James snickered. Peter looked confused and said, "What are we doing?"

The boys collapsed into fits of laughter, and walked back to their dorm, doubled up in their hysteria.

Up in the dorm, the boys fell silent and pondered the past couple days.

"We really have to up our pranking skills. Maybe ask the older 3rd or 4th years?" asked Remus.

"I totally was thinking the same thing!" shrieked Sirius.

James, Remus, and Peter rolled their eyes, then fell asleep slowly, relaxing in their soft, plush beds.


	7. Prank War 1

**A/N: I GOT MY BLOOD DRAW TODAY! So if this is a bit short or I have some spelling mistakes, blame it on my injured arm. :'(**

**Disclaimer: You know what it is. **

**~em**

**Hogwarts**

**December 10th, 1970**

"Oh my god, guys, you can't BELIEVE what I heard," screamed Peter, dashing up to James and Sirius.

"So, I was in the hallways, just walking, and then, get this, this girl says she thinks Sirius is cute! Is there something wrong with her? I think we have to take her to the Hospital Wing. So I told her she should go to the Hospital Wing for something to cure her mental health, and she punched me in the gut! So it turns out _I_ was the one going to the Hospital Wing, not her. Isn't that amazing?" Peter gushed out in a single breath.

James and Sirius gazed at Peter, with a glassy look in their eyes. "Pause. Rewind. Rewind. Rewind. A girl said I'm cute?" asked Sirius.

James was nodding. "I agree with you, Pete. I can't believe it. This is so unexpected, so sudden, so unbelievable! Are you _sure_ she said Sirius, not James?"

Sirius and Peter groaned at James, and Remus entered the common room, his cheeks a bright pink, and carrying a huge stack of books. "What is that?" gasped Sirius.

Remus rolled his eyes, then rubbed his hands together. "It is so cold outside," he puffed, shaking the snow off his cloak.

"Um, you're carrying books. And you were outside. Are you sure the _books_ are okay? I mean, bookworm like you..." James trailed off.

Remus gave a small sniff of contemptment, then turned on his heel, and headed up towards the dormitory.

"Three. Two. One," said Sirius. On cue, the Gryffindors heard a loud scream of pain, and the sound of a huge crash. Dozens of books came tumbling down the staircase, and along with it, came a small boy with sandy hair.

James shook his head, sighing. "He'll never learn..."

It was two days before winter break. Sirius skipped down to the Great Hall, eager to have a good meal before having his detention which had been postponed until now, due to 'unspeakable circumstances' according to McGonagall. He dashed to the Gryffindor table and plopped down next to his friends.

"Hey, guuuuuuuuuuuuuyyyyyyyysssssss!" he sang.

"Why so cheery, Siri?" asked James, raising his eyebrows with a straight face. Then he burst out laughing, slapping the table many times in hilariousness.

Sirius nodded slowly. "Riiiiiiiiight, James. Verrrry funny. So amusing I forgot to laugh. Anyways, it's because I'm staying at Hoggiewarts for Christmas break! So I don't have to go home to my parents. They're definitely going to be really mad during the summer since I didn't get in Slytherin."

Sirius made a pouty face and sighed. James patted Sirius on the back. "AWW, it's OKAY, SIRI. You can stay at MY house during the summer. ANYWAYS, I'm going to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas and New Years too!"

Remus sighed, "Well, I gotta go home. You know, my mom with the disease? I need to take care of her with my dad for Christmas."

He faked another sigh. Peter said, "Me too! My family is going to go to France for vacation!"

"Looks like it's just us two, Jamesy-poo. OMG, I DID IT TOO! I JUST DID IT AGAIN!"

Sirius said, laughing maniacally.

James rolled his eyes and thumped Sirius on the head. "C'mon, guys, we've got detention. I've got, what, cleaning trophies with Filch."

Remus said, "I have, um, Hagrid. He wants me to help him... feed some spiders, I guess."

Sirius said, "Well, I'm with Slughorn. He's got me, uh-oh, grading paperwork. Oh, this is easy, I'll give them ALL T's, then us four O's."

Remus clucked his tongue disapprovingly, and Sirius said, "Don't be a mother hen, Remus. MERLIN! SEE WHAT I DID THERE? HE CLUCKED, AND MOTHER HEN? I'M ON A ROLL TODAY, REMS!"

Everyone ignored Sirius, and Peter said, "I have to wash trophies with James."

"Sucks," said Sirius, "'Cuz you're with James."

James whipped his head toward Sirius. "You wanna go man?"

Sirius wiggled his head like a chicken and said, "Sure, YOU, ME, OUTSIDE, NOW!"

Remus said, "Um, guys, we should get to detention, so..."

Sirius said, "Shut up, wet blanket."

Then James and Sirius started flapping their arms like chickens. Thus began the epic battle of Hogwarts.

It all started Sirius let out a battle cry and dove at James, and smashed him into a table. Food went flying everywhere, and every Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and most Slytherins got squirted and sprayed with different kinds of food. Then, James _had_ to retaliate and punched Sirius in the gut.

Sirius immediately ran to Remus and said, "Please be on my side, Rems. You're so nice, amazing, funny, cute, handsome, and smart! Help me, Remus, you're my FAVE person in the world. Pleasy pleasy pleasy please? With mountains of infinite chocolate on top?"

James immediately ran towards Remus and screamed, "No, don't go to the bad side, Remus! Join me! Together, we shall conquer the world! Mwahahaha!"

Sirius yelled, "No Remus! Me! Don't do it! Don't trust him, Remus! Punch him in the nose! He's hypnotizing you!"

Remus looked helplessly and the two of them, then at McGonagall, who sighed and said, "My goodness..."

Dumbledore interrupted, "Well, it is the holidays, Minerva. You pick who's side Remus goes on."

Remus gulped, and McGonagall tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I choose... Black," she said.

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! TAKE THAT, POTHEAD! I DID IT AGAIN! UH-HUH! THAT'S RIGHT! YOU KNOW IT!" Sirius bellowed, then started dancing wildly.

James broke down and started sobbing. "Professor, please don't do this to me! I swear, I'll do my homework! Don't do this to me!"

"Look on the bright side, Potter. You have Pettigrew!" McGonagall said, trying to cheer him up.

James rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. That's a bright side. No offense, Pete, but you're not the brightest."

Peter shrugged and said, "Well, at least you've got the Invisibility Cloak!"

At this, James and Sirius looked at each other, then yelled, "GO!"

They charged towards the dorm as fast as they could. James ran as fast as he could towards the stairs to the 7th floor. Sirius, on the other hand, ran after James for the first two sets of staircases, then took off for the hallway on the third floor. He skidded to a stop at the tapestry, then sprinted to the end of the secret passageway, emerging quickly on the 6th floor. By the time he got on the staircases, James was only on the 5th floor.

"What? How..." he choked.

"Secret passageway, stupid!" Sirius screamed gleefully, then ran the speed of lightning to the dorm and started throwing James' things around.

"AHA!" he yelled, and threw the cloak on. Just then, James appeared, panting in the doorway. He looked around then charged toward his bed, rummaging through his things. By the time he realized Sirius had already taken the cloak, Sirius was already with Remus, discussing their P.W.1 plans. **(Short for Prank War 1) **

While Sirius and Remus were downstairs, James and Peter had already made plans of their own. The rest of the school were bystanders for this short war, so James and Peter were able to expand their ideas very well.

James performed a couple charms, jinxes, and spells on the dorm so Sirius and Remus couldn't get inside the dorm for the night. Not knowing this, Sirius and Remus finished discussing their plans, and prepared traps all over the castle for the morning.

While making their traps, Sirius and Remus found almost a dozen secret passageways, leading from the dungeons the the Gryffindor common room, Great Hall to second floor, 5th floor to 3rd floor, etc. They found many shortcuts through tapestries throughout the night.

Of course, they were still friends at heart, so Sirius and Remus agreed to inform James and Peter of the new discoveries when the battle was over. When they came up for the night, the boys climbed the stairs, and tried to open the door. It was locked, and all of a sudden, there was a bright light and a bang, and Sirius and Remus had matching pink quiffs, had pink skin, and were wearing purple clothes.

When Sirius saw this, he started screaming hysterically. "REMUS! MY HAIR! LOOK! AT! MY! HAIR! IT'S RUINED! REMUS! HELP! MY HAIR!"

Remus sighed, and ran his hands through his fluffy cotton candy hair. "James? Peter? Let's make a deal. If we don't have a winner by Wednesday morning, we truce and end the battle, since Pete and I are going home for winter. Agreed?"

"Let me speak with my entourage for his advice," they heard James say loftily.

There were soft murmurs, then James said, "Agreed. And, just FYI, the hair stays for 24 hours. And you can't come in. OR ELSE. MWAHAHAH-"

James broke off coughing and choking. "Ahaha," he coughed.

Sirius snorted, then shouted, "Then where do we sleep? And, you know, our clothes? And my, my, my- OH MY GOD, MY COMBS ARE IN THERE! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS, JAMES. I _NEED_ MY COMBS!"

James sniffed, then replied, "Well, you'll figure something out. NOW LEAVE. OR ELSE."

That night, Remus and Sirius discovered the Room of Requirement. They were walking aimlessly in a hallway, thinking, "I hate James. I hate Peter. I need clothes. I need sleep. I need a bed. I need water. And food. And combs."

Sirius suddenly let out a wail of anguish. "HELP ME HOGWARTS!"

He kicked the wall as hard as he could, then fell down, squeaking, "Ow."

Remus barely looked up, Stupid Sirius existed almost 24/7. He heard a grinding, grainy noise, and looked up. That couldn't be Sirius, could it? He suddenly noticed the wall turning into a door. "Sirius! Look! Look at that! Sirius!" he said excitedly.

"WHAT!" Sirius screeched, annoyed.

"Look at the wall! There's a door!" Remus exclaimed.

Sirius jerked up, and gazed at the black steel door. He approached it and pulled open the door. They were behold with an amazing sight. The room was huge, with two beds, one labeled SIRI, the other REMS. There was a big bathroom visible, with a whole stack of combs. Sirius squealed and dashed toward the combs immediately. Suddenly, Remus heard a thud.

"Sirius?" he called.

There was no reply. Remus worriedly jogged to the bathroom to see Sirius on the ground. He had fainted after seeing himself in the mirror. Remus sighed frustratedly, and filled a bowl with water and dumped it on Sirius, who immediately jumped up and slipped on the water again.

"Owwww... My head. My toe. My knees. My feet. My arms. My-"

Remus interrupted him, "Sirius, we have a very prank-filled day tomorrow. So I suggest we get some sleep. Buh-bye."

**JAMES AND PETER BATTLE BASE**

"All right, Pete! Up! This is the only day we have to prank our hearts out! We're truce-ing tomorrow, remember? Now, be super careful, because there are definitely traps all over the place," James yelled in Peter's ear at sunrise.

Peter opened his eyes blurredly. "It's so... early, James. Why are we up already?"

James said proudly, "'Cuz we're gonna win this war by waking early, exploring the castle thoroughly, and making sure we don't fall into traps. Understood?"

Peter groaned, then closed his eyes. James screamed, "WAKE UP!" in his ear, then pulled Peter out of the room.

Little did James know that Sirius and Remus had woken up almost an hour earlier than them, and were currently waiting smugly in the Great Hall, just waiting for James and Peter to fall into their traps. All of a sudden, there was a big BANG, and a huge cloud of black smoke at ghe entrance to the Great Hall.

Last night, while James and Peter were setting up the dorm prank, Sirius and Remus snuck into the library and took many books to look up spells. Remus found one that made the trap only respond to the two identified victims.

Looking up, the teachers and early birds eating saw two blonde hairy monsters in the doorway. There was hair all over the body, (well, no one was sure there was a body, they were guessing) and they had brown chocolate syrup drizzled on the head. There was a loud _bonk_, and two large artificial cherries fell with a plop onto the ice cream sundaes' heads.

The students began laughing and clutching their stomachs.

"BEHOLD, JAMES ICE CREAM, AND PETER SUNDAE!" Sirius said loudly, giving a bow with Remus.

"SIRIUS. REMUS. WHAT DID YOU DO?" yelled James Cream as he wiped whipped cream and sprinkles out of his eyes and hair.

"Yeah, Sirius. Yeah Remus. How long is this going to stay?" asked Peter Sundae.

"Hm...," said Remus, tapping his chin, "Oh, until you say Sirius and I won this war. If you lie, they'll appear again and stay there until we say they can. In your BIG, FAT, STINKY FACE!"

Remus let out an un-Remus-like cackle, and high-fived with Sirius. "Heh heh heh... good, huh, Sirius? I know, I know, SO GOOD!"

Sirius looked at Remus and then cleared his throat. "Oh, yes," said Remus. He waved his arm once, and then millions of foam stones fell on top of Cream and Sundae, until they were no longer visible.

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! SIR MUS DOES IT AGAIN! Sir is for Sirius, and Mus is for Remus, if you didn't know, " added Sirius.

James fought his way out of the pile of foam, and spat, "I will get you, Sir Mus!"

He ran- well, waddled because of his non-existent legs- towards Sirius. Just as he neared Sirius, a laser wall appeared in front of James, and he bounced back and landed in a heap on the ground.

"You just got lasered! La la la la, hahahaha!" screamed Sirius, then ran with Remus out of the Great Hall, cotton candy pink hair flying as they ran.

James toppled over trying to stand up, then saw Lily Evans standing in front of him.

"Oh," he said, then immediately tried brushing out his furry blonde hair, and wiping off some syrup out of his eyes. Of course, it was useless, and nothing happened.

"Hello!" he said, trying to be as charming as possible in these situations.

Lily didn't say anything, just burst out laughing and then said, "Well, I must say Black and Remus did a good job."

Then Lily ran off, probably to tell her friends how stupid James and Peter were. James sighed and waddled off, head down.

**Now, I'm really sorry I have to stop here, but I'm not sure how long I'll make the prank war. I'm thinking of having Sirius and Remus win, or they truce... Idk. **

**Well, first signs of James liking Lily here! XD. I'll update ASAP, but don't expect until next week. School's starting soon. Sigh. Well, anyways, bye!**

**~MarauderLover.x.o.x**


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